Spontaneous combustion
by El loopy
Summary: A mixture of oneshots and drabbles with the pairing Ella x Lucifer (because they amuse me) with varying levels of romance. All AU - ish. 8: Lucifer is challenged by an angry young man about his intentions...
1. Money, money, money

**A/N So I published this as a oneshot and expected to be burnt. Instead I found a host of secret Ella x Lucifer fans! So I thought that instead of swamping the fandom with lots of 300 word drabbles I would compile them all in one. Thank you to all those that reviewed, followed and favourited. I was genuinely pleasantly surprised. I hope you enjoy any further posts as well.**

* * *

Money, money, money

"I've always wondered what it would be like to date someone like you."

"Someone like me," Lucifer repeated with a raised eyebrow as he poured her a drink from his bar.

"You know," Ella said distractedly as she gazed around his rooms, "someone rich."

"Ah, I see." He handed her a drink and she handed him the case files. She took a sip and wandered around the room as he flicked his eyes over her notes, in her unintelligible scrawl. "Nope." He said finally, surrendering, "you will have to explain this. I had people doing this in Hell as a punishment you know."

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer. "What? Transcribing bad handwriting?"

"Precisely. A tortuous exercise."

She came and stood next to him at the bar, her shoulder brushing his casually.

"Look, it's really simple…"

"Obviously."

She gave him her best unimpressed face. She didn't really think twice about how close they were.

"You ready to shut up and listen?"

He was looking down at her strangely, a light in his eyes she hadn't seen before.

"You don't have to wonder you know." His voice was low, tremulous.

"What?" she was confused.

"It's probably a really bad idea and one of us might burst into flames…" she raised an eyebrow at him, "but you could…you know…date me."

She felt as though struck.

"What?"

"We could go on a date."

She wanted to laugh but he was gazing at her earnestly.

"You serious?" she asked incredulously.

"Call it rebellious of me," he murmured, his hand covering hers on the case file, "but I am deadly serious."


	2. Undercover

Undercover

"I need a partner."

Lucifer turned in surprise at the demanding tone of the small forensic scientist who stood by his arm in a very becoming formal dress, her hair piled high on her head with a few wisps escaping at the front in elegant curls. They framed the frown on her face.

"Sorry, what was that?" He didn't think he'd ever seen her in a dress. It suited her.

"A partner, Lucifer." She looked at him in uncharacteristic short-temper, hands on her hips. "We're undercover remember? I need to get on to that dance floor." She gestured with a hand at the polished wooden floor where couples were spinning languidly. It looked dull. He preferred his parties with a bit of a beat, and his dancers more scantily clad, but he supposed he could indulge in the more graceful pursuits from time to time.

Lucifer sighed and downed his flute of champagne. "Right. Right." He placed it to one side and offered her his arm, which she took in a grip of iron, shoulders tense, eyes resolutely ahead. He looked down at her. "Miss Lopez, relax. You're facing a dance floor not a firing squad."

Ella mumbled grumpily in reply, "I can't believe I let you and Decker talk me into this."

Lucifer tutted. "As I explained _before_ ," he drew the 'before' out in a patronising manner, "our miscreant in need of punishing has already seen the Detective. He may be stupid, but he isn't blind. She would be recognised." He paused before adding, "Besides you are exactly his type."

Ella raised an eyebrow at him as though daring him to continue that line of thought. He didn't. He couldn't understand what her problem was. Could it perhaps be the dress she was hating on?

"You don't need to fret, Miss Lopez," he assured her as he swung them out onto the dance floor. "You look very becoming."

He wasn't sure if he imagined the slight flush of her cheeks as she hissed.

"Shut up. I'm working."


	3. Inner demons

**A/N To keep Lucifer in character I have tried to keep his opinions equally in character. I do not necessarily advocate his advice as something to be acted on. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Inner Demons

The music in the club was pounding. Ella felt it sing through her nerves as she let herself go on the dance floor. There were no voices in the noise. The beat drowned them out as she downed the last of her drink, shut her eyes and danced, raising the glass in the air above her head. The part of her brain that analysed the alcohol was silenced. They were all silenced. Light strobed through her closed eyelids. Her therapist would have a temper and a half if she knew where Ella was, and why.

There was a sudden presence behind her and she smiled a little, even as she shouted a rejection.

"Not tonight Buddy."

"Well, that's a pity."

Her eyes flew open at the dry tone and snapped onto his.

"Lucifer?"

"Evening Miss Lopez. Fancy seeing you here." He was grinning at her, eyes alight with a 'gotcha' triumph. She stopped dancing, her mouth twisting unhappily.

"How did you find me?"

"Oh, I know people. Called in some favours."

"Are you here to make me leave?" There was a quaver in her voice, around a rod of determination but it wasn't required.

Lucifer blinked, smile still present.

"Make you leave? Miss Lopez, I have no intention of making you _leave._ "

"You don't?" The question wavered with confusion. "Then why are you here?" A quick twist of suspicion.

"Why," he spread his hands, "to dance of course."

"To dance," she repeated incredulously.

"With you," he added, "specifically."

There it was. The briefest flash of concern. For her.

"I don't _need_ a partner," she all but growled, eyes flashing with annoyance, still shouting over the beat of the music.

"Oh?"

He stepped forward, so his mouth was right next to her ear, and somehow, when he spoke, he did not need to compete with the music. The world and all of sound narrowed down to just the two of them, whilst the garble of humanity continued around.

"I know a little something about inner demons, Miss Lopez."

She felt herself freeze at the words, her heart rate speeding up in fear.

"I find that when they decide to have a party the best thing to do is to party harder." She could feel his smile in his breath on her ear and tried to ignore the pleasant tingles. "But never alone, Miss Lopez."

He thought about his own dance partner, Maze. Who better to help chase off inner demons than an outer one?

He drew back, and the rest of the world audibly snapped into focus. It was deafening.

"So, we will drink," he plucked two shots from the hands of a stranger, who had obviously been sent to fetch them, "and we will dance." He handed a drink to Ella, the smile no longer on his face. He clinked glasses with her and they both tossed them back. "And if you would like to top the night off with some unforgettable therapeutic sex, I might be persuaded."

She smiled then, tempted to throw her arms around him, but worried it might kill the mood. She was edgy Ella right now. She didn't do hugs.

"Thanks Lucifer," she said instead and placed her glass on a table.

"Less thanking, more dancing," he demanded.

She hadn't thought dancing would be his strong point, but she was wrong. Turns out the Devil could dance.


	4. A good place to start

**A/N This is slightly AU and set after 3x14 'My brother's keeper'. It is longer than most of the other stories in this collection and is much more heavily Ella x Lucifer than the others. I wrote a non Ella x Lucifer version of this with the same beginning but have published it separately. My assumption in this is that Lucifer does not know about Amenadiel and Linda. Enjoy.**

* * *

A good place to start

"Soooo…"

Lucifer glanced up from the test tubes and bottles in Ella's lab. The perky forensic scientist had come to stand opposite him, keeping her eyes down to look at the same beakers and test tubes that he was. He was just tampering with things because he was bored. What was _she_ up to?

"Whatever it is, Miss Lopez, I recommend that you just come out and say it."

Ella gave a little start, her eyes flicking up to his, surprised at being called out. Lucifer grinned.

"Would you like to share a secret with me, Miss Lopez? A confession?" He made it sound sensual.

She flushed, looking uncertain for a moment, before sighing. "No, not really. I just…" she straightened up and took a deep breath. "Is your brother single?"

He stared at her, stunned. It felt like she'd landed a punch to his stomach, if she'd had the immortal strength to do so.

"My brother?" he choked out incredulously.

"Yeah," Ella met his eyes steadily for a beat, reading Lucifer's expression before externally wilting. "Never mind. Stupid question." She turned away from him and started to busy herself tidying things up unnecessarily. "Of course, he's not single," he heard her mutter. "Big guy like that. Handsome, brooding, well built." She paused for the smallest of breaths before speeding on, voice becoming increasingly louder, actions more meaningless. "Or he's gay. So not interested."

"Mis Lopez," he tried to interrupt, she railroaded over him.

"Or just not interested. Or gay and taken. I mean that's an option too…" She had begun pacing the room and Lucifer had to step in front to physically halt her. She walked straight into him. "Ow! Sorry." She frowned up at him, a mixture of apologetic and cross.

Lucifer gripped her shoulders to stop her moving off again.

"Stand still," he commanded. "You're making it impossible to talk to…you."

Her smile came a bit forced.

"Nothing to talk about," she tried to move but he didn't loosen his grip.

"I never answered your question," he insisted.

Ella looked at him with wide, gentle eyes. "You didn't need to."

"Yes, well," Lucifer let go of her shoulders but didn't move away. "As far as I am aware Amenadiel is unattached, although Maze did say something about…anyway…the truth is, Miss Lopez, that I don't _like_ the idea of you and my brother dating."

She crossed her arms.

"Why not?" There was a glint in her eye now, her jaw stubbornly set. "Don't think I'm good enough for him?"

He looked at her for a long moment. His eyes softened, voice very quiet as he replied.

"No. _Quite_ the opposite." There was a tenderness there towards her that took him by surprise. A sudden warmth in his chest. For her part, Ella was looking at him with an equally surprised expression.

"Why's that then?" she almost demanded, but he shook his head and stepped away. Emotions were happening, and emotions were confusing. He didn't _want_ to examine them; his reasons, his motives.

"You're all the same you know," he walked around the other side of the table, leaving her behind. Her hands were on her hips, her eyes narrowed. His voice was harsh, accusing. "You church types. One look at an Angel and you go all star-struck and gooey-eyed."

She was silent for a moment, mouth a thin line.

"I'm assuming you're doing that method acting thing where, because you're the Devil, your brother much be an Angel? You're forgetting buddy, the Devil used to be an Angel too."

"Yes, well," his tone wavered and pitched high, "same doesn't apply does it?" He gestured in her direction, gaze locked on her face. "You didn't look twice at me."

He heard the accusation, the hurt, in his voice. Paused in surprise at the depth to it but felt too wounded to do anything. Ella hiked an eyebrow, expression unimpressed.

"You made it _quite_ clear," she answered brusquely, "that you weren't interested in me."

"What?" his face twisted incredulously.

"Uh huh. I know how you behave around women. None of that with me. I figured this," she ran her fingers over the chain around her neck. "Put you off."

"Don't be ridiculous," he gave a forced laugh, "little thing like that?" Although the thought of spontaneous combustion had crossed his mind. "Anyway, there was that time…" he trailed off at the look Ella gave him.

"A dirty mattress. At a crime scene. When your heart wasn't in it?"

Lucifer felt a small stab of guilt. She was right. She deserved better than that. He knew that now.

"Touché," he grudgingly replied and saw her relax a fraction. He placed his hands flat on the table and let it take his weight for a moment, hanging his head. What had changed? Why did he not want Ella Lopez dating his brother? Its not like he would have cared before…

"What about now?" he found himself asking.

"Huh?"

He raised his head to fix her with a weary look. She had dropped her hands and looked frozen. "What if I showed an interest now?"

He remembered how she had stood in front of him, tears in her eyes, when it looked like her brother was guilty. Her positivity, her bubbly spirit, fractured. She'd hit him as she snapped, focusing her anger at him and he'd felt all the pain she was in, in the whip crack of her voice and the jab of her finger. He'd been right about the brother, but he was determined that he'd never have to feel that hurt from her again. She needed to be protected. He remembered how she'd looked in the casino, eyes and voice sharp as she had played the cards, duped the dealer. Her thinly veiled contempt of the owner when they caught her. He had realised there was so much more to this Ella Lopez.

"What are you saying Lucifer?" she asked, voice quiet and shocked.

He fixed her with a piercing look. "Are you deliberately being difficult?"

She didn't respond.

He stood up straighter and sighed, approaching her around the table. "You know, this is so much easier when it's just about sex."

"What's easier?" she replied faintly, eyes wide and a little afraid. "What are you doing?"

Lucifer stopped in front of her and took a deep breath.

"Miss Lopez, would you like to have dinner with me? Sometime? Tonight maybe?" He tried not to show his uncertainty, but the words kept tripping out.

"Dinner?" she repeated.

"Or coffee. Or…whatever it is that mortals do on dates."

"Dates? A date? You want to go on a date with me?"

The look on her face was such a mixture of emotions he couldn't pick them apart.

"Yes," he examined her a moment longer and felt the sinking sensation inside. He smiled, forced, but reassuring. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

A small hand shot out and snagged his sleeve as he turned away.

"Coffee." He turned back to her, heart lifting. "Coffee is a good place to start."

She seemed unsure but there was a smile on her face and he felt his lips curve to mirror her own.

"Coffee it is."


	5. Nice arms

Nice arms

Ella liked arms. It was almost common knowledge.

At the precinct he heard her giggling with the other women, and odd bloke, about how nice Pierce's arms were. In Las Vegas she had kept her eyes on the detective's arms as she flirted, asking non-too discretely whether he worked out. The one that had really rankled though, was her comment about Amenadiel. "Woah." She was practically drooling. "I guess we know who carries the guns in the family."

Lucifer did not like to be overlooked and he especially didn't like being placed second to his brother of all people.

"Just what is this ridiculous obsession with arms," he exploded at one point when Amenadiel was wearing one of his extra showy outfits, practically shoving them in his face.

"What?" His brother was naturally failing to follow the thread of conversation again. Lucifer swore he did it deliberately.

"Arms," Lucifer jabbed both hands at his brother's as though presenting them. "Mortals getting all worked up about arms. I don't see the appeal."

Amenadiel raised his eyebrows. As usual with Lucifer something else would be going on here.

"I could have arms like that if I wanted," Lucifer muttered, "but they have to look good in a suit. I need to look like the club owner not the bouncer." He did a circuit of the room before finishing back at his brother. "How did you get arms like that anyway?" he snapped accusingly.

Amenadiel looked at the apparently offensive appendages and shrugged.

"I guess they were just God-given," he smirked a little at his own joke, but it sent Lucifer off on another rant.

"Oh yes, best arms to the favourite son. I see. As usual just another way to screw me over." He glared at the ceiling.

Amenadiel was rifling through his memories.

"Is this about that…" he struggled to remember a name, "…Ella? The one at the precinct."

Lucifer halted mid-stride and widened his eyes with that dangerous, all-teeth smile.

"Oh, so you _do_ remember her."

Amenadiel sighed.

"You gonna tell me what this is about Luci?"

His brother had already stalked out of the room declaring with a low growl, "We'll see who has the bigger guns."

* * *

Ella was quite cut off from the rest of the precinct in her glass box. Usually if she was working hard on something in particular she wouldn't even have time to look up, so she was oblivious to the whispers and the glances that morning that her co-workers were casting Lucifer Morningstar.

Pierce noticed as he walked out of his office and stood opposite the consultant.

"What are you doing Lucifer?"

Lucifer blinked and hooked his thumbs into the sleeveless, studded denim, punk-rocker jacket he was wearing instead of his suit.

"What?" he responded innocently. "This is my favourite jacket."

Pierce nodded down, "and the rest?"

Lucifer looked offended.

"It has to match."

Pierce pressed his mouth together in a not-smile.

"Yeah," he drew it out and paused a beat, "You can't be in my precinct looking like that."

"Against the dress code?" Lucifer sneered.

"That," Pierce nodded, "and I just don't like it."

Lucifer was preparing a retort about self-expression when his intended audience walked into view. Ella had emerged for a coffee.

"Yo. Lucifer!" she hollered with a grin. " _Love t_ he outfit." She paused in her walk, screwed up her face and did some sort of gesture with her hands. "Rock on!" she whooped in a rasping voice before backing out of sight.

Lucifer was left stunned.

"She didn't even notice them."

"Notice what?" Pierce had his arms folded and a part-amused, part-resigned smile on his face.

"What does it take?" Lucifer muttered. "I've been working out all week. I'm a divine being. I shouldn't have to strive like mere mortals…" His voice had gotten progressively louder and more indignant but trailed off when he caught Pierce's eyes. "This is your fault," he pointed.

Pierce jerked his head and blinked.

"My fault?"

"Yes, standing there with everything on show. You were bound to eclipse me. Its not really a fair contest is it when the other person's had millennias with nothing to do except bench press his frustrations."

The penny dropped. Pierce frowned. "Wait. Are you talking about my arms?"

Lucifer rolled his eyes, "and there you go again. Drawing all the attention."

Pierce smirked and flexed them just to rile Lucifer up further.

"Bench-press my frustrations, huh? You could say that," he examined one. "Hmmm…this one is a little on the small side…" He received a glare. "You've had just as long as me to work them," he pointed out, adding insult to injury.

"Not quite," Lucifer said in a dangerous tone, "Some of us have had a job to do."

He walked away before Pierce could say or do anything further.

* * *

"Why do you care?" Maze had on her sneering face when she caught her ex-boss moping about the penthouse. "You are the Devil. You ooze sexual desire. Most women don't care too much about arms."

Lucifer was sat at his bar, nursing a drink, his suit back on, where it belonged, the shirt loose at the neck, sleeves rolled up. A sly smile spread across Mazikeen's face. "Unless this isn't about _most_ women. This is about someone in particular."

He cast her a fleeting glance and away again, annoyed at himself for making the slip.

"I knew it," Maze smirked. "Who is it? Spill."

Lucifer shook his head.

"Maze I'm not…"

The lift doors slid open and Ella strode in.

"Got that stuff you wanted. Been working on it all day," she announced, waving a brown envelope in the air before her eyes snagged on the demon. "Hey! Maze, haven't seen you in like for - ever."

She moved to give a hug, but Maze held up a hand to halt her.

"No."

Ella just grinned good-naturedly and shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

She moved to Lucifer's side and dropped the envelope in front of him.

"Miss Lopez, you didn't have to come here just to bring me this," Lucifer protested but the forensic scientist just grinned and shrugged.

"Having some drinks here with my homies, so I thought, two birds, one stone!"

She gave Lucifer a small, playful punch on the arm and paused. Almost against her will her hand wrapped around his bicep, through the shirt, and gave a light squeeze. She made an appreciative noise in her throat.

"Nice arms." She squeezed again before blinking, almost like out of a trance, and ripping herself away. "So, uh, yeah, my friends will be waiting. Let me know if you have any questions about that," she nodded at the envelope as she retreated into the lift, casting one last, longing look at Lucifer's arms as the doors slid shut.

There was a beat of silence before Maze swung her smirking gaze around to Lucifer.

"Shut up," he snapped before she could start. Maze held her palms out in surrender, still smirking.

"I didn't say anything."

"It isn't what you think," he gripped his glass more tightly as Maze clipped her way over to the lift and called its empty shell back to her.

"Oh, I think it is," she mocked, sadistic enjoyment coating every word.

"Well, good thing it doesn't matter what you think," he snipped as she stepped into the lift.

"No," Maze said in a singsong jeer, voice sickly sweet. "It only matters what Ella thinks," she pressed the button, "and Ella thinks you have nice arms." The doors slid shut on her.

Lucifer waited until he heard the lift descending before he let the smirk break out on his face and flexed one of them experimentally.

"Yes – I – do."


	6. The Evidence Closet

**A/N Inspired by the antics in 3x20 but not really following on from them. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed. It is so nice to know you like these stories. It would be great to read more Ella and Lucifer stories and I strongly encourage trying these two out, even if you are a Chloe x Lucifer fan. They are so much fun to write! Enjoy.**

* * *

The Evidence Closet

At some point Lucifer had come to the decision that he wasn't going to use his powers on the people in his life he…cared about? Tolerated? This decision came after several _long_ chats with Linda when he'd found himself confessing a curious reluctance to do so. Especially since he'd been using his gifts on the scum of the earth, or potential scam, or anyone who might have something to lead them to the scum.

As such, when he used them on Ella Lopez it was entirely an accident. He was questioning a suspect at a crime scene and she walked straight into the line of fire.

He watched as her eyes grew slightly unfocused and his insides spiked nastily.

"Miss Lopez, you don't need to…"

Too late.

"I want to have sex in the Evidence Closet."

Lucifer's eyes widened in surprise before a sly grin broke out on his face. "Really?" he purred intrigued. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, that hadn't been on the list. It must be on her mind. Fortunately no one but the suspect had heard her. The Scientist was speaking in a quiet daze. Lucifer snapped his fingers at the suspect. "You. Go away. Over there." They hovered uncertainly for a moment. Lucifer waved a hand at them. "Shoo." Once they reluctantly moved away he turned his attention back to Ella. "Who with?" he enquired.

"Anyone," she responded, before clapping a hand over her mouth with a mortified expression. "I gotta go."

"Miss Lopez…"

She shook her head vigorously. "Gotta go. Someplace else. Far away." Then she was gone.

* * *

Unsurprisingly that did not deter Lucifer. He'd heard a desire whether by accident or intention and he was hardwired to be curious about the remaining details. It occupied his mind more than it ought.

"Maybe it is because it is Ella," Linda suggested.

Lucifer tilted his head. "I don't understand your point, Doctor."

Linda exhaled and tried to speak more slowly. He could never understand why she did that.

"Ella is a lovely person. She's always helping people out and rarely asks for anything that she wants. Maybe you feel like she deserves her desire, more than others do."

He turned this over in his mind before nodding once.

"You're right, Doctor." He got to his feet decisively. "I'm going to get her what she deserves."

"You're not…" Linda exclaimed before cutting herself off as Lucifer turned. She composed herself. "You're not going to hire a prostitute, are you?"

Lucifer gave his therapist a disappointed look, voice indignant.

"Doctor, I'm surprised at you."

"Yes, you're right, of course…" Linda started to apologise but was cut off.

"Miss Lopez deserves the best so that's what she'll get."

The relieved feeling turned to a sinking one rapidly.

"Which is…?" She hadn't wanted to ask, morbid curiosity pulled it from her.

Lucifer grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Why, me, of course."

He could have sworn as he walked out the door that he heard the Doctor mutter wearily, "Of course."

* * *

Ella had been trying to avoid him and, so far, it was working. She had managed to completely avoid mention of that embarrassing slip up earlier in the week, but it was inevitable that she could not avoid him forever. It was also inevitable that Lucifer would not have forgotten. Had it been about kittens or a new piece of Science equipment he probably would have ignored it, but no. It was about sex, and Lucifer loved sex.

"Miss Lopez."

His voice at her lab door and she froze up, heart hammering unpleasantly in her chest.

"Lucifer, how…can I help you?"

 _It might be a case. It might be a case. It might…_ she heard him shut the door. _Damn._

"I am here, Miss Lopez, about your desire."

She shut her eyes with a sigh before letting them flutter open and turning to face him.

"Lucifer, its fine, really, it was a silly…"

"Why _that_ desire?" He was looking at her with rapt attention that made her skin flush hotly. She gave up. Might as well talk to him about it then he might leave it alone.

" _That_ is the Evidence Closet," she pointed at her wall. "When…couples want to hook up at work, that's where they go." She shrugged. "The walls shake. Looks like it could be fun." He was watching her so attentively that she felt defensive. "I'm not going to _do_ it."

"Why not?" He sounded genuinely affronted. She had no idea why.

"Because…" she drew it out with a slight 'duh' air, "it would be unprofessional," Lucifer hiked an eyebrow, "…and I don't have anyone to do it with." That, of course, was the main problem.

"That's precisely why I'm here, Miss Lopez."

He spoke as though he had the solution to all her problems. She felt a flash of hope because it was her default, followed by unease.

"Uh huh."

"I am offering you my services," he opened his arms wide in a ta-da gesture, grinning at her.

It took a moment for the penny to drop.

"That's sweet of you," she tried, feeling touched that he cared, "but I think I'll leave it."

He looked indignant.

"Why not? I am more than qualified. Your desire requires strength, flexibility, t _echnique_ ," he quirked an eyebrow suggestively at her, she almost melted into the floor. "Also, the ability to charm one's way out if we got caught."

He had a good point. Many good points…she put a halt to the thought process firmly. Very tempting though. Bad Ella.

"I think, I was maybe hoping for a bit more of a connection…" she tried again, thinking as she did so about all the times she'd spent connecting with Lucifer. Vegas was a particular highlight. Lots of connections. She swallowed.

Lucifer was already giving a disappointed shrug, and small smile.

"Well," he breathed, "you have my number if you change your mind."

She nodded thickly, swallowing against a dry throat.

"Or if you want to go on some…" he rolled the word experimentally, "dates first. I hear they are an excellent way to connect."

She wanted to pinch herself and check she was awake.

"Lucifer!" he was practically out the door when she exclaimed, and he stopped. "Why? Why all this?"

He half turned, so his eyes melted into hers, as he answered so softly she barely heard. "Miss Lopez. You give everything and ask for nothing in return. You deserve to have something that _you_ desire, and it would be my privilege to be the one chosen to make it happen." Then he was gone.

Ella felt her legs give out a little, so she had to lean on the counter.

"So that just happened," she said to the room at large and eyeing her phone on the side, wondering how soon she could call him and say she'd changed her mind.

She picked up the phone.


	7. Indecent exposure

**A/N This could be considered a follow on from the previous chapter but wasn't written with that in mind. It is the only Ella x Lucifer established relationship story I have done so far but I very much enjoyed writing it. It is a it more T-rated than the others. I am sorry in advance if I have got any of the legal aspects incorrect. The laws around this in the UK are different and I had to do a bit of reading. Enjoy.**

* * *

Indecent exposure

Lucifer was pacing, the iron bars of the cell flickering rapidly back and forth the more agitated he was getting. It wasn't being in the prison itself that was the issue but more the principle of the matter. He was Lucifer Morningstar. He did not get _arrested!_ His partner in crime lay back on the bench of the holding cell, hands neatly folded over her stomach. She had a half smile on her face, amused, eyes focused on the ceiling.

"You know," she mused, "of all the things I thought I'd get arrested for over the years, I never imagined it would be this."

This piqued his interest, enough to distract him from pacing.

"Oh? Do tell?" he purred salaciously. "What else is hidden in your sordid past, Miss Lopez?"

"Oh, you know," she shrugged from her prone position, "the car thievery, underage driving, card counting." She reeled them off like a rap sheet, holding up her fingers to count them off. He had forgotten about her past. The Ella he knew now seemed so law abiding.

"You're taking this arrest remarkably well," Lucifer said slowly with a tone of expectation of the calm before the storm. He had thought she would be in pieces by now. Tears or shaking. When his negotiations with the police had failed and the cuffs had been snapped on them both he had cast his eyes to her anxiously, waiting. Instead she had displayed barely a flicker of concern.

"I mean, I _started_ to freak out at the whole getting arrested, jail time, maybe losing my job thing, but then I decided, you know what? Have faith in your friends. They'll get you through this." Her friends? He realised that she meant her work colleagues. Could he say the same? He shook the doubt off. It was not like they could lock him up and let her go free. They were both equally responsible.

"I'm sure it will be decided that this was all just a _big_ misunderstanding," she continued.

"Right," Lucifer said slowly, giving her a wary eye. Her shirt was buttoned up wrong from its hasty re-donning after being interrupted by the police.

"So…you think this was a misunderstanding?" He couldn't help the flavour of hurt in his voice. He had thought that maybe…

Ella sat up abruptly – the most animated she'd been since the arrest.

"No, no, no," she exclaimed hurriedly. "No. No misunderstanding here." She smiled at him and he felt a smile back. "I'm just saying they might _decide_ there was."

His eyes widened in revelation. He nodded. "Understood."

The whole situation was still utterly ridiculous though.

"Indecent exposure," he muttered scornfully. "You weren't that exposed, and it certainly wasn't indecent. Quite the opposite actually." He grinned.

Ella lay back down, and he was sure it was in order to hide her smirk.

"Well… we were in the middle of…"

"We weren't having sex."

He was almost certain he heard her mutter, "Not yet", before adding more loudly, "We _were_ in a park."

"Yes?" The 'so?' was implicit.

"And there _were_ children watching."

"Not when we started. Nosy creatures."

His protests merely seemed to amuse her further. He lowered himself onto the bench next to her head, careful not to sit on her hair which fanned out in every direction, and looked down on her sideways.

"You know, in other countries this kind of thing really isn't a problem."

Ella patted his knee reassuringly, or at least tried to from her upside-down position. It became more of a confused swat of her hand.

"Its only considered a misdemeanour crime."

Lucifer snorted. "Misdemeanour. I sound like some rebellious adolescent. The last misdemeanour I committed was to rise all of heaven up in rebellion against dear old Dad." He shot a glare upwards and said more loudly. "If I was going to get myself arrested for something I'd do it properly."

They were interrupted by a guard at the door.

"Charges have been dropped," he told them sternly. Lucifer detected a hint of ice in the gaze, but Ella just grinned and got to her feet.

"Thanks Joe." She nudged Lucifer with a 'see, what'd I say' elbow. She emerged out of the cage but as Lucifer turned to follow her the door slammed in his face.

"Not you," the guard growled.

Lucifer was too stunned to speak for a moment, the 'why' on his lips failing to fall before the police officer continued.

"That's what you get for corrupting Miss Lopez."

Lucifer blinked. Ella blinked.

"Erm…"

The guard turned to the forensic scientist and handed her a hoodie. "You left it in your office," he explained kindly. "I thought you might want it."

"Aww. That's so sweet!" she replied with her lovely Ella smile.

The guard smiled back and shot a last scowl at Lucifer before turning away out the door. Ella turned the hoodie over in her hands, the smile still on her face.

"Isn't that adorbs?"

"Miss Lopez?"

He thought he sounded remarkably calm given the circumstances, but she caught his eye with a rabbit in the headlights look.

"Yes…right…sorry." She hovered awkwardly for a moment. "Erm…just…look…I'll…I'll go…" she pointed, "sort this out."

She hurried away, leaving Lucifer behind bars, scowling.

"Corrupt her," he muttered furiously. "It was her bloody idea!"


	8. Mistaken intentions

**A/N This might be the last one for a little while as I have run out of ideas for the time being, although I want to do one involving Azrael. If anyone would like to offer any ideas I will take requests and suggestions, however I will not write Chloe and Ella as rivals, simply because I just can't see it happening. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

Mistaken intentions

The precinct was eerily dark outside the glass walls of Ella's lab. It was like he was stood in the only pool of warmth and hope, which seemed fitting for Ella, if slightly unusual for the purpose of the lab.

They were the last two in the building by the looks of things. Lucifer drummed his fingers a tad impatiently against the work surface. Miss Lopez was just finishing something up for him and had popped out for a moment, taking conversation and laughter with her. The room was sterile and dull in her absence. A door opened behind him and he huffed, "Finally!" as he turned, only to have a fist connect with his face. Taken off-guard he staggered a little, noting the surprise in the very angry young man's face that he hadn't been flattened completely.

Lucifer straightened back up, tugging his suit jacket back into position and rolling his shoulders to shake off the impact.

"Good evening to you too," he muttered. "Is that how you normally introduce yourself to people?" He felt anger flash through his voice, eyes beginning to burn – not literally though, not yet.

"I made an exception for you Scumbag," the intruder sneered.

"Scumbag, right. Pleasant." Lucifer responded wryly, anger becoming a controlled simmer. "Can I help you with something? A restraining order, maybe?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you can help me," the young man replied aggressively. "You can tell me what your intentions are with my sister."

Lucifer sighed. He could never understand why humans, when they got angry, assumed that he knew who they were talking about.

"You'll have to be more specific I'm afraid," he responded coolly, mouth a thin line.

The intruder looked even angrier, if possible.

"What are you doing with my sister? Are you sleeping with her?"

"Again," Lucifer replied dangerously, "you'll have to be more specific. I have sex with a lot of people."

It was also, he noted dispassionately, never the person themselves who had the complaint. Always the brother, or father, or mother, or wife, or husband. Tedious. They never wanted to hear that response though. So very sensitive. The intruder looked livid and pulled another punch. Lucifer caught the fist with his usual fluid grace.

"You might want to reconsider," he said with a flash of red.

The young man blanched a little but didn't entirely back down.

"You went to my brother," he accused, a minor waver in his voice. "Threatened him. Said it was because of her. He thought you might be a couple, but I know your reputation. The parties. The sex."

Lucifer grinned, but with no humour, all teeth.

"Well, yes. I imagine _most_ people know of my reputation, that is, after all, the purpose of it." He put more pressure on the balled-up fist, "But you are _still_ not being specific enough."

A shrill voice from the doorway interrupted the confrontation.

"Leon?"

The angry young man twisted his head and Lucifer detected a hint of fear, much more raw than he had shown so far to the devil, as he replied, "Ella."

Ella approached with more annoyance than she usually showed. No perky greeting for _this_ visitor.

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes flashed to Lucifer and he felt the reproach sear his skin as he hastily released Leon's fist.

"You _know_ this miscreant?" There was a tone of accusation in his own voice.

"My brother," Ella presented with her hand and dropped it. "One of them anyway." She looked between the two of them fiercely. "What is going on?"

Lucifer was processing the whole conversation anew with the knowledge that Miss Lopez was the sister.

"Interesting," he murmured.

"What is?" she replied warily, clearly irritated. Lucifer ignored the wide-eyed pleading looks Leon was sending him.

"Well, your brother here was paying me a visit to find out what my intentions were towards you."

Leon emitted a low groan as Ella raised her eyebrow in innocent confusion.

"Intentions?"

"He meant sex."

To her credit Ella did not turn into an embarrassed puddle. She turned blazing eyes onto her cowering brother, mouth open in shocked fury.

"Leon!"

Her fingers clenched and unclenched like she wanted to launch at him.

"You're just lucky I'm not wearing slip-ons today, Buddy."

"I thought I was protecting you," Leon protested weakly in the face of his sister's wrath.

"Estupido!" Ella snapped. "Of course he has no intentions!"

"Do I not?" Lucifer asked with a hint of challenge.

"Do you?" she shot back in surprise, eyes wide.

"Would you like me to?" he grinned flirtatiously.

Ella shook her head to clear it. He didn't mean any of it, she reminded herself. It was just the way he was.

"It is certainly an interesting question," Lucifer continued, the flirty tone gone, now more serious. He was leaning back on the counter and studying Ella with an intensity that was beginning to make her skin flush self-consciously.

"It is?" she managed weakly. Her brother looked between them in bewilderment.

"Yes." The consultant pushed himself away from the edge and approached her with the slowness of anticipation. "I think it might warrant a but of investigation. Don't you?"

"You mean – sex?" she asked breathlessly, voice wavering.

"I _mean_ intentions of the more honourable kind." He paused a bear before adding, "and also sex."

"Why?" she asked, stunned, almost pained by his interest. He surrounded himself with beautiful actresses and models and singers. Why would he want anything to do with her?

He was standing in front of her, so she was looking up into his face, he was deliberately not touching her, and there was an affection there that startled her.

"I don't think I need to list all the reasons, Miss Lopez." His voice was soft. Gentle. He cut his gaze away and added more dryly, "Particularly with your brother here."

She blinked as though coming out of a trance and remembered her idiot brother.

"Oh."

"Maybe," he purred, "we could go out for dinner and discuss my _intentions_ further." He made it sound seductive.

"Uh…" she said in a bit of a daze and turned to her brother. "Go home Leon."

"Ella!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Look…I'll call you or something…" she flapped her hand at him and started to look around absently, before re-fixing her gaze on Lucifer, giving him a smile so warm and hopeful that it cut him straight through. So much faith.

"I'll go fetch my bag."

As Ella vanished Lucifer gave the intruding brother a triumphant grin.

"Well, I think that went excellently. Let me show you out."

He stepped forward as Leon straightened further and dug his heels in.

"If you hurt her," he said dangerously, "you'll have all of us to answer to."

Lucifer looked down at him steadily. "I have no intention of hurting her," he replied with cool amusement, "but your warning has been noted."

He accompanied the brother in silence to the exit when he turned with a final grin.

"I suppose I should thank you really." There was a devilish gleam in his eye. "I tell you what. If we get married one day, I'll select _you_ as best man, for services rendered."

He strode away before Leon could reply, enjoying immensely the look he'd produced on the angry young man's face, and knowing there was an infinitely more pleasant one waiting for him in the lab.


End file.
